Young Lawyers >> Volunteer Info

Volunteer Info
Board of Governors

Young lawyers are provided the opportunity to enjoy interaction with judges in an informal, yet professional setting (Chief Judge's chambers). The breakfasts take place during the morning hour, just before the judges' calendars begin. The project objective is to encourage interaction between young lawyers and the judges before whom they appear, and to support the professional development of young lawyers.

The program addresses the need to encourage communication between the bench and the bar to identify problems and fashion solutions that result in better service to the public. The project operates by the young lawyer coordinator writing to the judges in advance to invite them and to coordinate the time of the breakfast with the judges' calendars in order to maximize attendance by the judges. The breakfasts are advertised in The Jacksonville Bar Association's newsletter.

The Jacksonville Bar Association has one of the most active sports leagues in the State of Florida. Each year teams comprised mostly of lawyers, law clerks, and judges compete in football, basketball and softball. Participation in each sport usually includes 12 to 14 teams. The JBA/YLS sports leagues provide lawyers, both young and old, an opportunity to participate and develop friendships and cordial relationships outside of their normal professional setting. In addition, judges and other professionals are allowed to participate in the leagues. Most notably, teams comprised of doctors, accountants, and engineers participate in our sports leagues. This, of course, promotes business and social relations between young lawyers and other professionals in the Jacksonville area. More importantly, the sports leagues are used to obtain volunteers and promote our many community projects, such as Habijax. The sports leagues provide a healthy outlet for tensions that are frequently experienced by young lawyers in a demanding profession.

The JBA/YLS luncheon is held each July and is one of the section's most popular programs. The luncheon features a presentation by a prominent speaker from the legal community. Speakers have included the Chief Justice of the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal, the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida and the Mayor of Jacksonville. Topics have included professionalism and the role of lawyers in our society.

In addition to the presentation by the speaker, the election of members to the JBA/YLS Board of Governors takes place at the luncheon, as well as the swearing in of the new President and other officers of the JBA/YLS Board of Governors. A brief moment is also taken to inform those attending about JBA/YLS and its projects and programs and to encourage all to become involved. Also at the luncheon, all young lawyers are invited to attend a young lawyers happy hour which is held at a local bar and restaurant that same evening.

All young lawyers and summer law clerks are invited to attend the luncheon, regardless of whether they are JBA/YLS members. The luncheon is free of charge.

The purpose of the judicial spotlight project is to help familiarize area lawyers, both young and old, with our state and federal judiciary. Although JBA/YLS publishes a judicial procedures profile regarding the state and federal judiciary, which provides an in-depth discussion of each judge's courtroom practices, the JBA/YLS board recognized a need to "personalize" our judges through a program of this type.

The information included in each spotlight includes information regarding the judge's educational background, law practice prior to going on the bench, as well as information regarding hobbies and funniest experience while on the bench. The JBA/YLS committee responsible for the project obtains the information through a questionnaire which is distributed to each judge. The committee then assimilates and edits the spotlights which are published in The Jacksonville Bar Association's monthly newsletter. Typically, two to four judges are featured each month.

The JBA/YLS scholarship is given annually to a first or second year law student attending a Florida law school who intends to practice in the Jacksonville area following his or her graduation from law school.

The scholarship is co-sponsored by the Financial News and Daily Record, a local business newspaper which is very active in the legal community and often publishes articles on legal affairs, as well as legal notices. The scholarship is intended to help defray law school tuition and the expenses of the recipient.

The JBA/YLS advertises the award and distributes applications at all Florida law schools. Applications normally are solicited at the beginning of spring each year. The applications are then reviewed by members of the scholarship committee of the JBA/YLS and the publisher of the Financial News and Daily Record. Applicants are judged on such criteria as law school achievement and character, as well as need.

The scholarship funds, along with a plaque, are presented to the recipient at The Jacksonville Bar Association's annual Law Day Luncheon where the recipient, together with his or her family, are honored guests.

This program was jointly created by the Fourth Judicial Circuit and The Jacksonville Bar Association. It has been implemented with the support of the JBA/YLS. The focus of the mentor program is to provide lawyers with guidance and enhance the degree of professionalism in the legal community to provide better legal services to clients and generally improve the effectiveness and perception of lawyers. By completing an application, a young lawyer will be assigned to a mentor who will best serve his/her needs.

The Trial Hotline provides weekly e-mail updates that advise members of The Jacksonville Bar Association of trials and significant hearings being held in the state and federal courts during that week. Every Monday morning an e-mail update is sent to participating JBA members advising them of civil and criminal trials in the state courts and trials or significant evidentiary hearings in federal court. The individual attorneys then chose whether and when to observe the proceedings.

The Holiday in January project is designed to insure that each foster child in the City of Jacksonville receives a holiday gift. The project is coordinated with the State of Florida Department of Children & Families. The law firms are solicited for donations during the Fall and, after receiving the list of foster children who did not receive any holiday gifts, volunteer attorneys purchase the toys. On the day of the event, all the gifts are placed on display and the foster children, with assistance from volunteer attorneys, are permitted to select two or three toys. For the past few years, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has donated bicycles, which has enabled virtually every child to have a bicycle, complete with a riding helmet. This has been a tremendously successful project for the Young Lawyers Section and personally rewarding for those attorneys who participate.

The Young Lawyers Section participates in the local Teen Court Program established by the McCalla Children and Family Advocacy Center at the Florida Coastal School of Law and the Department of Juvenile Justice. Juveniles are referred to the program by the State Attorney's Office and must plead guilty to the offense with which they have been charged and accept the censure of their peers. The Teen Court employs teen peers to act as jurors and attorneys while the Young Lawyers serve as the presiding Judges. Each Young Lawyer must attend a training session conducted by a member of the judiciary prior to presiding over a Teen Court Trial.

The Back to School Jubilee project is in its second year. Given the substantial need of the foster children community in the City, the young lawyers, together with the State of Florida Department of Children & Families, put together a summer event. This project is designed to clothe each foster child with a school uniform, backpack and school supplies. Instead of soliciting law firms, this project is funded entirely by individual attorney donations. Last year over $1,000.00 in individual donations were received, and, with assistance from corporate sponsors, a total of $10,000.00 was raised. The distribution of the uniforms and school supplies is done at a local skating rink, which provides for additional interaction between the young lawyers and the foster children.